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SCMP Lifestyle Series

Famous Chinese women in history

In ancient China, women were expected to be obedient and chaste. But throughout millennia, some dared defy traditions with their intellect and ambition. In this series, we profile some of the most powerful and enigmatic female figures in Chinese history.

Updated: 14 Jul, 2026

Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, reigned as a legitimate leader in China during the last 15 years of her life in her short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty (690-705). Photo: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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[1]

Beautiful, power-hungry: how Wu Zetian became China’s only female emperor

A legitimate ruler for 15 years – but de facto leader for years more than that – Wu Zetian is remembered as a complex character.

05 May, 2026

Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, reigned as a legitimate leader in China during the last 15 years of her life in her short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty (690-705). Photo: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

[2]

The dark story of Consort Wan, 17 years older than the emperor who loved her

Wan Zhen’er became a beloved consort of Emperor Chenghua against all conventions, but records indicate a pernicious side to her tale.

23 May, 2026

Tavia Yeung (left) as Consort Wan Zhen’er in a scene from The Emperor’s Harem (2011). Wan Zhen’er rose from child servant to Emperor Chenghua’s beloved consort. Photo: Lafeng Entertainment

[3]

Who was Yang Guifei, the Chinese beauty blamed for toppling a dynasty?

One of ancient China’s ‘Four Beauties’, Yang besotted an emperor, was the target of a rebellion, and in death became a tragic romantic icon.

06 Jun, 2026

A painting depicts Yang Guifei being attended to by a court maid. The princess, regarded as one of the “Four Beauties” of ancient China, has gone down in infamy for contributing to the end of the Tang dynasty. But is this point of view fair? Photo: Handout

[4]

How a Chinese empress shaped her country without ever taking the throne

Empress Xiaozhuangwen secured power, averted crises and deposed enemies while raising and guiding China’s longest-serving emperor.

16 Jun, 2026

A painting of Empress Xiaozhuang (1613-1688), known for most of her life by the title Grand Empress Dowager. After securing power by having her son ascend the throne in 1643, she raised his successor, her grandson Kangxi, who would go on to be China’s longest-ruling monarch, reigning from 1661 to 1722. Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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[5]

‘Cleverest woman that ever lived’: the rise of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi

Beginning royal life as a low-ranking concubine, Cixi controlled Qing-dynasty China for nearly half a century from behind the scenes.

30 Jun, 2026

A portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi, one of the most powerful and influential women in Chinese history. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images